Saturday, November 14, 2009

Here's the second post in a new series. I'm starting with the "after" first. This was a fun exercise to update a really bad drawing I did when I was a teenager.

Below is the "before" image...did it over 35 years ago! I can't remember much about it...recently found it in the attic. I do think it was intended to be a parody of super heroes...there are obvious influences of Captain America, Superman, and The Flash. Why I chose an Aardvark...can't say...other than I was just a weird kid.I began with a bunch of rough sketches to start working out the basic proportions. Some of them are shown below...did even more than I'm showing. I thought about staying with the "Captain" title...then moved on to "Major Aardvark". But I decided to just start over and not be influenced too much by the old drawing. So I shortened the name to "The Vark". Seemed cooler somehow. I tried using the cape with the costume...but it was soon left behind.I finally settled on a short, muscular figure. Let's face it...an aardvark doesn't have the best physique for a tough guy. But I liked the idea of big claws (aardvarks love digging for ants and termites). Below are the last stages...I blocked him in with simple flat shapes...then went for a more painterly style. Lastly, I put in the environment and color you see at the top of the page.I must say this was more challenging than I anticipated...I really admire the pros who make comic books all day long for a living!

I've still got gobs of old drawings in the attic...who knows what I'll find next!

fascinating to read and see..loved seeing all the planning and sketches and the story it self...reminds me that at tender age I made up a super hero called The Whip...I guess the whip he carried was magic ...and he had a mustache for some reason or other..the aardvark idea was terrific and I'll bet the only one around.